Sima Jiong
Encyclopedia
Sima Jiong (died 302), courtesy name Jingzhi (景治), formally Prince Wumin of Qi (齊武閔王), was an Jin Dynasty (265-420)
imperial prince who briefly served as Emperor Hui
's regent
after overthrowing the usurper Sima Lun
in 301. He was the fourth of the eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes
.
, Prince Xian of Qi, the younger brother of Jin Dynasty's founder Emperor Wu
, making him Emperor Hui's cousin. Sima You's abilities were so highly regarded by both his father Sima Zhao
and the officials that, at times, he was considered as the proper heir, first for Sima Zhao, then for Emperor Wu. After Emperor Wu therefore exiled him from the capital Luoyang
in 282, he died in 283. Sima Jiong, as the oldest son of his wife, inherited his post, and complained to Emperor Wu about doctors' misdiagnosis. (The doctors, who had thought that they would gain Emperor Wu's favor if they informed him that Prince You was healthy (so that he could indeed go to his principality, had minimized the illness that Prince You was suffering.)
As an imperial prince, Sima Jiong had a sizable number of troops under his command. When Sima Lun overthrew Emperor Hui's domineering wife Empress Jia Nanfeng
in 300 after she murdered Emperor Hui's crown prince
Sima Yu
, Sima Jiong was a participant of the coup, but did not receive great rewards afterwards. He therefore resented Sima Lun. Sima Lun, seeing his resentment, tried to appease him by giving him an important military command—of Xuchang (許昌, in modern Xuchang
, Henan
).
the Prince of Chengdu and distant cousin Sima Yong
the Prince of Hejian, each of whom had strong independent commands. He sent his close associates to serve as their assistants. Prince Jiong refused and declared a rebellion to restore Emperor Hui. Prince Ying, Sima Ai
the Prince of Changshan (Emperor Hui's brother), and Sima Xin (司馬歆) the Duke of Xinye (the son of a granduncle of Emperor Hui) all declared support for Prince Jiong. Prince Yong initially sent his general Zhang Fang (張方) with intent to support Sima Lun, but then heard that Princes Jiong and Ying had great forces, and so declared for the rebels instead. Sima Jiong's forces initially were stuck in a stalemate against Sima Lun's, but after a major victory Sima Ying's forces scored against another win of Sima Lun's troops, Sima Lun's troops collapsed, and Sima Jiong and Sima Ying's forces approached Luoyang. Sima Lun was captured by officials in Luoyang who declared for the rebellion as well, and forced to issue an edict returning the throne to Emperor Hui. He was then forced to commit suicide. Sun and other associates of Sima Lun were executed.
Some thought that a power balance that Emperor Wu had hoped for at his death might be restored, as Princes Jiong and Ying were each given regent titles (and awarded the nine bestowments
, in one rare case where the nine bestowments were not signs of an impending usurpation, although Prince Ying declined the bestowments), and many talented officials were promoted into important positions. However, the Princes Jiong and Ying were actually apprehensive of each other's power, and Prince Ying decided to yield the central government regency to Prince Jiong at the time and return to his defense post at Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan
, Hebei
).
Sima Jiong became suspicious of Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian—because Sima Yong had initially wanted to support Sima Lun, until he saw that Sima Lun's cause was hopeless. Sima Yong knew of Sima Jiong's suspicion, and started a conspiracy; he invited Sima Ai the Prince of Changsha to overthrow Sima Jiong, believing that Sima Ai would fail; his plan was then to, in conjunction with Sima Ying, start a war against Sima Jiong. Once they were victorious, he would depose Emperor Hui and make Sima Ying the emperor, and then serve as Sima Ying's prime minister. In winter 302, Sima Yong declared his rebellion, and Sima Ying soon joined, despite opposition from his strategist Lu Zhi (盧志). Hearing that Sima Ai was part of the conspiracy as well, Sima Jiong made a preemptive strike against Sima Ai, but Sima Ai was prepared and entered the palace to control Emperor Hui. After a street battle, Sima Jiong's forces collapsed, and he was executed. His sons Sima Chao (司馬超) the Prince of Huailing, Sima Bing (司馬冰) the Prince of Le'an, and Sima Ying (司馬英, note different character from the Prince of Chengdu) the Prince of Jiyang were stripped of their titles and imprisoned. In 305, Sima Jiong's accomplishments were remembered, and his sons were released; Sima Chao was created a minor prince. After Emperor Huai
became emperor, he further restored most of Sima Jiong's titles and awarded him a posthumous name
. When Emperor Huai was later captured by Han Zhao
's emperor Liu Cong, Sima Jiong's sons were captured and executed by Han Zhao forces, and Sima Jiong was left without descendants.
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
imperial prince who briefly served as Emperor Hui
Emperor Hui of Jin
Emperor Hui of Jin, sim. ch. 晋惠帝, trad. ch. 晉惠帝, py. jìn huì dì, wg. Chin Hui-ti , personal name Sima Zhong , courtesy name Zhengdu , was the second emperor of the Jin Dynasty...
's regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
after overthrowing the usurper Sima Lun
Sima Lun
Sima Lun , courtesy name Ziyi , was titled the Prince of Zhao and the usurper of the Jin Dynasty from February 3 to May 30, 301...
in 301. He was the fourth of the eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes
War of the Eight Princes
The War of the Eight Princes or Rebellion of the Eight Kings or Rebellion of the Eight Princes was a civil war for power among princes and dukes of the Chinese Jin Dynasty from AD 291 to AD 306. It was fought mostly in northern China and devastated the country, later triggering the Wu Hu ravaging...
.
Early career
Sima Jiong was the son of Sima YouSima You
Sima You , style name Taiyou , was the second son of the Cao Wei regent Sima Zhao during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Sima You became the heir to his uncle, Sima Shi, who at the time was childless...
, Prince Xian of Qi, the younger brother of Jin Dynasty's founder Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu of Jìn
Emperor Wu of Jin, , personal name Sima Yan , style name Anshi , was the grandson of Sima Yi and son of Sima Zhao. He became the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty after forcing Cao Huan, last ruler of the state of Cao Wei, to abdicate to him. He reigned from 265 to 290, and after conquering the...
, making him Emperor Hui's cousin. Sima You's abilities were so highly regarded by both his father Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
and the officials that, at times, he was considered as the proper heir, first for Sima Zhao, then for Emperor Wu. After Emperor Wu therefore exiled him from the capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
in 282, he died in 283. Sima Jiong, as the oldest son of his wife, inherited his post, and complained to Emperor Wu about doctors' misdiagnosis. (The doctors, who had thought that they would gain Emperor Wu's favor if they informed him that Prince You was healthy (so that he could indeed go to his principality, had minimized the illness that Prince You was suffering.)
As an imperial prince, Sima Jiong had a sizable number of troops under his command. When Sima Lun overthrew Emperor Hui's domineering wife Empress Jia Nanfeng
Empress Jia Nanfeng
Empress Jia Nanfeng , nickname Shi , of the Jin Dynasty was the daughter of Jia Chong and first wife of Emperor Hui...
in 300 after she murdered Emperor Hui's crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Sima Yu
Sima Yu
Sima Yu , courtesy name Xizu , formally Crown Prince Minhuai was a Chinese crown prince during the Jin Dynasty ....
, Sima Jiong was a participant of the coup, but did not receive great rewards afterwards. He therefore resented Sima Lun. Sima Lun, seeing his resentment, tried to appease him by giving him an important military command—of Xuchang (許昌, in modern Xuchang
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
).
Role in overthrowing Sima Lun
After Sima Lun usurped the throne in 301, he became concerned about Sima Jiong and also Emperor Hui's brother Sima YingSima Ying
Sima Ying , courtesy name Zhangdu , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince who served briefly as his brother Emperor Hui's regent and crown prince. He was the sixth of eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes...
the Prince of Chengdu and distant cousin Sima Yong
Sima Yong
Sima Yong , courtesy name Wenzai , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince and briefly a regent for Emperor Hui. He was the seventh of eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes...
the Prince of Hejian, each of whom had strong independent commands. He sent his close associates to serve as their assistants. Prince Jiong refused and declared a rebellion to restore Emperor Hui. Prince Ying, Sima Ai
Sima Ai
Sima Ai or Sima Yi , courtesy name Shidu , formally Prince Li of Changsha , was a Jin Dynasty imperial prince who briefly served as regent for his brother Emperor Hui. He was the fifth of the eight princes commonly associated with the War of the Eight Princes...
the Prince of Changshan (Emperor Hui's brother), and Sima Xin (司馬歆) the Duke of Xinye (the son of a granduncle of Emperor Hui) all declared support for Prince Jiong. Prince Yong initially sent his general Zhang Fang (張方) with intent to support Sima Lun, but then heard that Princes Jiong and Ying had great forces, and so declared for the rebels instead. Sima Jiong's forces initially were stuck in a stalemate against Sima Lun's, but after a major victory Sima Ying's forces scored against another win of Sima Lun's troops, Sima Lun's troops collapsed, and Sima Jiong and Sima Ying's forces approached Luoyang. Sima Lun was captured by officials in Luoyang who declared for the rebellion as well, and forced to issue an edict returning the throne to Emperor Hui. He was then forced to commit suicide. Sun and other associates of Sima Lun were executed.
Some thought that a power balance that Emperor Wu had hoped for at his death might be restored, as Princes Jiong and Ying were each given regent titles (and awarded the nine bestowments
Nine bestowments
The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine...
, in one rare case where the nine bestowments were not signs of an impending usurpation, although Prince Ying declined the bestowments), and many talented officials were promoted into important positions. However, the Princes Jiong and Ying were actually apprehensive of each other's power, and Prince Ying decided to yield the central government regency to Prince Jiong at the time and return to his defense post at Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
).
As regent
Sima Jiong became arrogant based on his accomplishments. He had his sons created princes, and ran the matters of the central government from his mansion, rarely visiting the emperor or attending the imperial meetings. He enlarged his mansion to be as large as the palace, and he entrusted matters to people who were close to him, and would not change his ways even when some of his more honest associates tried to change his behavior. When Emperor Hui's grandson Sima Shang (司馬尚) died in childhood, leaving Emperor Hui without male descendants by 302, Sima Ying was considered the appropriate successor, but Sima Jiong chose to bypass him by recommending the seven-year-old Sima Qin (司馬覃) the Prince of Qinghe (Emperor Hui's nephew and the son of his brother Sima Xia (司馬遐)) as the crown prince, with intent to easily control the young Crown Prince Qin.Sima Jiong became suspicious of Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian—because Sima Yong had initially wanted to support Sima Lun, until he saw that Sima Lun's cause was hopeless. Sima Yong knew of Sima Jiong's suspicion, and started a conspiracy; he invited Sima Ai the Prince of Changsha to overthrow Sima Jiong, believing that Sima Ai would fail; his plan was then to, in conjunction with Sima Ying, start a war against Sima Jiong. Once they were victorious, he would depose Emperor Hui and make Sima Ying the emperor, and then serve as Sima Ying's prime minister. In winter 302, Sima Yong declared his rebellion, and Sima Ying soon joined, despite opposition from his strategist Lu Zhi (盧志). Hearing that Sima Ai was part of the conspiracy as well, Sima Jiong made a preemptive strike against Sima Ai, but Sima Ai was prepared and entered the palace to control Emperor Hui. After a street battle, Sima Jiong's forces collapsed, and he was executed. His sons Sima Chao (司馬超) the Prince of Huailing, Sima Bing (司馬冰) the Prince of Le'an, and Sima Ying (司馬英, note different character from the Prince of Chengdu) the Prince of Jiyang were stripped of their titles and imprisoned. In 305, Sima Jiong's accomplishments were remembered, and his sons were released; Sima Chao was created a minor prince. After Emperor Huai
Emperor Huai of Jin
Emperor Huai of Jin, sim. ch. 晋怀帝, trad. ch. 晉懷帝, py. Jìn Huáidì, wg. Chin Huai-ti , personal name Sima Chi , courtesy name Fengdu , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty ....
became emperor, he further restored most of Sima Jiong's titles and awarded him a posthumous name
Posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
. When Emperor Huai was later captured by Han Zhao
Han Zhao
The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...
's emperor Liu Cong, Sima Jiong's sons were captured and executed by Han Zhao forces, and Sima Jiong was left without descendants.